Quick definition:A cliffhanger is a dramatic ending to an episode, chapter or season that leaves a major question unanswered or a character in danger, so that audiences want to see what happens next.
Meaning
A cliffhanger ends a section of a story at a moment of high tension. A hero may be cornered, a secret may be revealed, a stranger may appear in the doorway or the screen may cut to black as something terrible begins. The audience has to wait for the next episode, chapter or season to find out what comes next.
Anime and manga rely heavily on this device. Weekly manga chapters often finish on a dramatic panel, and television episodes cut away at the key moment and then show a short preview of the next week. The technique encourages readers and viewers to keep following the series and to discuss theories while they wait.
Cliffhangers can be exciting, but they can also frustrate fans, especially when the wait between seasons is long. Writers usually resolve the situation soon after the break, sometimes in surprising ways. A well-placed cliffhanger is remembered for months, and fans often share their predictions online.
Origin:The word cliffhanger comes from English, where it describes a story that ends with a character in a dangerous position, as if hanging from a cliff. The term is often linked to serial adventure stories of the early twentieth century, and it was later applied to television and comics. Anime and manga adopted both the word and the technique.
Example:A weekly fighting series ends its chapter with the hero knocked to the ground, the villain raising a weapon and a speech bubble cut off mid-sentence. Readers must wait seven days for the next chapter, and online discussion fills with guesses about how he will survive.
Did you know?Many anime end a television season on a cliffhanger, with an announcement that the story will continue later. This helps studios advertise a second season, and occasionally the break lasts years, leaving fans to read the manga if they want to find out the rest.
